There’s a new ghost hunting tour opened up not far from Manchester and it lets you explore a haunted abandoned hospital and orphanage overnight.
This one’s not for the faint-hearted.
Newsham Park in Liverpool has been known for hosting an array of music events over recent years, but now – just like everything else in 2020 – it’s been switched-up and is used for ghost hunting instead. Between 9.30pm and 3.30am, those who feel they’re brave enough are invited to explore the grounds of this “haunted” building.
Not only will you will have access to the whole of the site, but the organisers will even throw in some ghost-hunting vigils and small group séances too, just in case it wasn’t scary enough already.
So, what is Newsham Park Hospital then? And what makes it so “haunted”?
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Dating back to 1874, the ominous looking Grade II listed building was initially opened as an orphanage to help educate and support orphans of British sailors, and by 1899, there was 321 children housed under the strict supervision of strict Victorian matrons.
More residents were brought in during the First World War and by the end of it in 1918, there were more than 1,000 orphans housed in the building.
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It was finally closed down in 1951 and then became a hospital in 1988.
The whole institution has a bunch of other creepy-sounding areas too, including a morgue, a ‘psyche cinema’, a hallway known as the ‘naughty boys corridor’, and a myriad of hidden passageways.
As described on the Haunted Happenings website: “The abandoned hospital has a massive array of spooky rooms, corridors and basements, including a School House, hospital wards, nurses accommodation, Bell Tower, Chapel and Mortuary.
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“There is an instant feeling of uneasiness as you enter and begin your journey into this frightening location.
“On a Haunted Happenings overnight ghost hunt at Newsham Hospital, you will not fail to sense the torment of those who belong to its long and torrid history. Wheelchairs sit empty in corridors and the mortuary fridges exist as a cold reminder of the lives that passed over in this place, giving this location a unique and frightening atmosphere.
“Although the building has laid empty for many years, during our overnight ghost hunts here there have been numerous reports of paranormal activity here from security staff and workmen alike.
“Distant voices have been heard from within the empty building, shadowy figures have been seen darting down the stairwells and workmen’s tools have disappeared only to turn up in a completely different part of the building. Could this be the work of mischievous children from the Orphanage coming forward to make themselves known?”
You’ll have to find out for yourself.
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Think you’ve got what it takes?
Tickets to the Haunted Happenings Ghost Hunting Tour of Newsham Hospital start from £65 per person, and you can book your trip in advance here.
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More than 12 million Brits think Yorkshire puddings belong with your Christmas dinner
Emily Sergeant
More than 12 million Brits would argue that your Christmas dinner needs a side of Yorkshire puddings, a shocking survey has revealed.
The survey in question carried out by retailer Next – which polled a total of 2,000 Brits about their Christmas dining and tableware habits – has uncovered that millions of people stray off the beaten track when it comes to, what we can all agree is, one of the biggest and heartiest meals of the year.
It turns out, Brits like a lot of unusual items on our Christmas dinner plate.
Some of the most obscure finds the survey is that two million people admitted to eating onion rings alongside their turkey and sprouts, and a further 5% (3.4 million) Brits like tucking into a bit of seafood on Christmas Day.
A surprising 4% (2.7 million) of people admitted that they like to add ketchup to their Christmas dinner plate – with mac and cheese, chips, and sweetcorn also making the top 10 list.
If all of that wasn’t mad enough as it is, one of the most shocking stats from the survey is probably the fact that a whopping 1.4 million respondents even said that they wouldn’t consider it a Christmas dinner without the addition of baked beans.
But when it comes to Christmas dinner, there’s probably one debate that’s bigger than them all, and is still yet to be decided – do Yorkshire puddings belong on your Christmas dinner plate or not?
Well, 12.7 million Brits believe that they do, and we reckon a good chunk of that number is us northerners.
The UK’s top 10 non-traditional Christmas food items
Yorkshire Puddings (19% – 12.7 million)
Bread sauce (5% – 3.4 million)
Seafood (5% – 3.4 million)
Ketchup (4% – 2.7 million)
Mac and cheese (3% – 2 million)
Onion rings (3% – 2 million)
Chips (2% – 1.2 million)
Bread (2% – 1.2 million)
Sweetcorn (2% – 1.2 million)
Beans (2% – 1.2 million)
While previous research has shown that the most common items on a British Christmas dinner are roast potatoes and gravy, these latest stats reveal there are some people out there who just like to do things a little differently.
But no matter how you like to eat it, a delicious Christmas dinner is always going to be something to celebrate, right?
An old clip of Tyson Fury talking about Oleksandr Usyk has come back to haunt him – twice
Danny Jones
This weekend saw Oleksandr Usyk emerge victorious over Tyson Fury for a second time in less than a year as the Ukrainian won the highly-anticipated rematch on points, and now an old clip of the Manc fighter dismissing his opponent has resurfaced online. Again.
Oh, the irony…
After losing following a split decision for what was his first career defeat back in May, Fury lost following a unanimous decision this time around and while some have questioned the scorecards (as tends to happen with these things), there can be no question over Usyk’s dominance now.
However, rewind to a few years ago before the 37-year-old had even won his first fight against Anthony Joshua and Fury’s naive not to mention controversial comments regarding the possibility of ‘giving’ him a fight look pretty silly now:
Tyson Fury a few years ago refusing to fight Usyk
“I want the big fights and that ain’t one of them. He’s a foreigner in a westernised world. The heavyweight champion should be from Britain or America and nowhere else.”
As you can see in the interview from 2020, the now 36-year-old Wythenshawe-born boxer was pretty dismissive about the prospect of fighting Usyk, who ultimately went on to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000 following the first win over Fury.
Despite already having an Olympic gold, multiple cruiserweight titles and an undefeated record to his name, Usyk had only fought and won two heavyweight bouts at this point, which is perhaps why ‘The Gypsy King’ felt comfortable downplaying his potential back then.
However, although Usyk had a comfortable division debut against Chazz Witherspoon in 2019, he also went on to best Fury’s familiar foe Derek Chisora – a man he’s beaten on three different times but maintains he admires both in terms of personality and ability – so there were signs of what was to come.
Moreover, not only was Tyson clearly foolish enough to underestimate him back then but the divisive and inflammatory nature of his remarks in this clip has been labelled ‘offensive’ and ‘xenophobic’ by many online, both at the time and after reappearing on social media once again.
Regardless, it seems that Usyk was just as unphased by his posturing then as he is now, coming out in the post-fight press conference to shrug off his trash-talking to reiterate his “respect” for someone who ultimately believes is “a good man”.
Nevertheless, Fury has now lost two him twice and still maintains he didn’t get the right decision on both occasions, dubbing this latest defeat “an early Christmas gift” for his opponent.
In the previous clash, the Greater Manchester athlete even claimed that fans and judges unfairly favoured him because of the war in Ukraine – a response which also received plenty of backlash.
You can hear how he believes he was ‘robbed’ along with his full reaction following the fight down below: